But a new “one-way to chaos” road system is throwing Welshpool life into disarray and gridlock, claim residents.

The town nestled in Mid Wales’ Severn Valley was established by the Prince of Powys as early as the 1240s and a market was first recorded there in 1252.

By the 1530s, it was described as “the best market in Powysland” and much of Welshpool’s road, rail and canal network date back to Victorian times.

Now it is having a major makeover with the arrival of its first Tesco store and petrol station, plus a canal-side restaurant.

The development will take over the old site of the Livestock Market – one of the largest in Europe – which has moved a mile outside Welshpool to Buffington.

But locals say the one-way system, which accompanies the new scheme and is under construction, is prompting bottlenecks, danger for pedestrians, intolerable noise and parking problems.

It is even making workers and schoolchildren late, they claim.

Neil Bayliss, 40, who lives on the town centre’s Lledan Terrace, said extra traffic was now being diverted from High Street right outside his house and it is having a detrimental impact on family life.

“It feels like all the town’s traffic is driving past my house,” he said yesterday.

“We are now getting two lanes of traffic and up to a dozen large timber lorries a day.

“The kids are complaining that it is very noisy and we’ve lost at least three parking spaces.

“It is harder to park in town because half of the Spar car park has gone.

“One of the workmen said Tesco is paying for the one-way system and I’ve nothing against them but I’m not sure if all this is going to boost town trade or kill it off.

“The situation is going to get worse and my colleagues at Welshpool Printers tell me it takes them 10 minutes longer to get into work each day.”

Parents with pushchairs and disabled people in wheelchairs and motorised scooters have described new road signs as extremely dangerous because they have to squeeze past them.

Meanwhile children at Welshpool High School say they are getting home 10 minutes later because school buses are delayed and pensioners have been left confused by changing bus routes.

Welshpool’s town clerk Robert Robinson urged residents not to blame the council for the problems – that the new road system was a government-imposed condition of a superstore taking on the site.

“The town council is working to try to get the best out of it, rather than just rolling over and complaining,” he said.

“In 1995, Powys County Council (PCC) allocated land on the old Livestock Market for a superstore.

“In 2007/2008, plans came forward for approval by PCC and with the superstore came a traffic management system as directed by the Welsh Assembly.”

In 2008 he said a consultation resulted in support for a one-way system, which is due to be completed on March 14 when Tesco opens, employing 189 new staff.

But Glyn Davies, Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, said he has received a lot of constituents’ complaints about the changes.

“I’m quite supportive of [the roadworks] but introducing them at a time when Mill Lane is closed is madness,” he said.

“I hear rumours about what other big stores are coming to Welshpool but until contracts are signed, that is all they are.

“Hopefully people will be more supportive after the bedding in process.”

A spokeswoman for Tesco last night apologised for the inconvenience.

She said: “We are currently finishing off the road works which we are required to carry out and are aware that there have been traffic delays caused by the lane restrictions and temporary traffic lights. We apologise to any local road users who have experienced inconvenience while this work has been taking place.”